File photo of propane tanks. (Joe_Potato/iStock/Getty Images)

Union says propane shortfalls may be CN’s own making

Propane shortages for grain dryers and heating fuel in the wake of a strike by Canadian National Railway (CN) conductors and yard workers appear to be “largely manufactured” by the railway, according to the union for the striking workers. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC-CTY), which represents over 3,000 CN staff in Canada who walked […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Propane shortage looms as CN strike hits third day

Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — Shippers scrambled to shift freight onto trucks on Thursday as a strike at Canada’s biggest railroad, Canadian National Railway, hit its third day, leaving the critical fuel propane and other goods stranded. Some 3,200 unionized employees, including conductors and yard workers, hit picket lines on Tuesday in the biggest such action […] Read more


Beef sirloin tips are among the many Ryding-Regency-produced beef products now recalled. (Panainte Ancuta-Georgiana/iStock/Getty Images)

New meat recall prolongs Ryding-Regency shutdown

Ryding-Regency Meat Packers remains shut down, making an already tight processing capacity situation event more challenging for Ontario farmers. The Toronto company, along with St. Ann’s Food, announced a recall Tuesday of a long list of its products because of concerns with E. coli O157:H7. More products were added to the recall on Thursday. The […] Read more

McDonald’s Canadian arm in August launched the “Classics Remastered” burger campaign, highlighting new kitchen processes for burgers such as its Big Mac, cheeseburger and Quarter Pounder (l-r). (CNW Group/McDonald’s Canada)

McDonald’s reiterates beef support during Beyond Meat test-drive

The world’s biggest burger chain has aimed to reassure Canadian beef producers that its trial run of a plant-based burger doesn’t mark a retreat from the company’s primary protein. McDonald’s CEO John Betts, in a statement issued Friday directly to “our valued partners in the beef industry,” said he wants beef producers “to hear from […] Read more


A 12-week global test of the McDonald’s P.L.T. starts Sept. 30, 2019 in 28 southwestern Ontario stores. (CNW Group/McDonald’s Canada)

Ontario to host global test for McDonald’s pulseburger

The biggest quick-service dining chain on the planet is set to use southwestern Ontario as the global test market for its first foray into Beyond Meat. McDonald’s announced Thursday it will run a 12-week test for a plant-based burger it calls the “P.L.T.” exclusively at 28 restaurants in the region starting Monday. “This test allows […] Read more


Tim Hortons had a nationwide rollout for Beyond Sausage Egg + Cheese, Beyond Sausage Farmer’s Wrap and Beyond Sausage Lettuce Tomato sandwiches on its breakfast menu in June 2019. (CNW Group/Tim Hortons)

Tim Hortons retreats from Beyond

Tim Hortons is dialing back its Beyond Meat marketing in Canada and will keep the plant-based meat substitute on its sandwich menus in Ontario and British Columbia alone. The coffee-and-donut chain, an arm of Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International and Canada’s biggest fast-food chain by number of outlets, first test-marketed breakfast sandwiches with the U.S. company’s […] Read more


File photo of medical cannabis in production. (FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Pot producer CannTrust’s federal license suspended

Reuters — Troubled Canadian pot grower CannTrust Holdings said Tuesday its license to produce and sell cannabis has been suspended by Health Canada. CannTrust had delayed its second-quarter results last month awaiting a decision from Canada’s health regulator on a large amount of inventory put on hold after discovery of illegal cultivation by the company. […] Read more

A corn crop west of Grunthal, Man. on Aug. 17, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan forecasts near-record corn crop

MarketsFarm — Canada’s corn crop is forecast to be the second largest on record despite a delayed start to spring planting, as yields showed an improvement from earlier forecasts, according to updated production estimates Thursday from Statistics Canada. Using a combination of satellite imagery, previous survey data, and agro-climatic data, the latest Statistics Canada report […] Read more